Asthma in the U.S. and around the world has increased at an alarming rate over the last 20 years and currently affects more than 15 million Americans. There is some speculation as to the cause of this increase, whether due to more time spent indoors in “tighter” homes with less fresh air or because of improvements in early diagnosis of disease. A recent study concluded that the risk due to residential allergen and pollutant exposure accounted for 39% of doctor-diagnosed asthma in U.S. children less than 6 years old. Currently an estimated 5,000,000 U.S. children (1 in 13) now suffer from asthma, accounting for 17% of all pediatric emergency room visits.
Allergic rhinitis or hay fever affects 40 million Americans. It can lead to rhinosinusitis (in 14% of the U.S. population) as well as otitis media (e.g. ear ache), the most common childhood disease requiring a healthcare visit.
In addition to the tremendous discomfort associated with these diseases and their all too often tragic outcomes (there are more than 5,000 asthma related deaths per year in the U.S.), the estimated annual cost of asthma in the U.S. is projected to be $14.5 billion this year, up from $6.2 billion only 10 years ago.
The first line of defense against these disease's symptoms recommended by allergists is to reduce environmental exposure. This can be accomplished by removing the allergen source (for example cats, cigarettes, molds, etc.), its reservoir (for example carpets, drapes, etc.) and also by cleaning the air through the use of high-efficiency air cleaners.
Use of air filtering systems based on High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, electrostatic precipitators, and others, are very effective in removing allergens and pollutants from the air, and consequently, when such an air is breathed in, it provides significant relief to individuals suffering from allergies, asthma, and other respiratory disorders. They are now routinely used in homes, hospitals, theatres, transport vehicles, equipments (vacuum cleaners), vents, exhausts, machinery, and many more places to clean air.
One of the major disadvantages of these air-filtering systems is that they are bulky and immovable and are therefore always installed inside homes, buildings, and vehicles by integrating them with the central air conditioning and heating systems. The same drawbacks reside with systems that deliver conditioned air directly to the breathing zones by integrating the air delivery system with the frame of a bed since the bulky blower unit has to be installed underneath the bed. Similarly, the portable fan-type room air cleaners are bulky enough to prevent an individual from carry them or tie them to his body. As such, these systems are incapable of providing a continuous flow of conditioned air to the personal breathing zone and other parts of the body while the individual is outdoors or moving.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.